Dewey and Wintzell

Last on my round up (finally) are the seafood joints of Wintzell's and Dewey Destin's, two of my favorite places to eat anywhere. Wintzell's started out in downtown Mobile in the 1930's, but has now franchised out into other areas like Saraland, Spanish Fort, Huntsville, and even Pittsburgh. Dewey Destin's is in Destin, FL and is basically a little shack on the water. It too has branched out into two locations, though both are very close to each other in Destin.

First up is Wintzell's. The one we went to is the first "new" location in west Mobile, off Airport. I don't remember when this one opened, but it has been there for a while. I would guess at least 15 years. I make it a point to go there every time I visit Mobile. We started by ordering a basket of fried pickles. I am of the opinion that no place can fry pickles (let alone many other things) like the South can. I don't know why, but all the fried pickles that I have had anywhere else just don't taste as good. Once again, these are good fried pickles. The coating was crispy and well seasoned, the pickles still juicy and flavorful. It came with ranch dressing to dip them in. I don't know if it was house made, but it passed my ranch aficionado wife's approval.

Brent and I ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell to split. I love fresh, raw oysters. I know they weird some people out, but I find them tasty. They also always taste a little different depending on the time of year, the salinity of the water when caught, and other environmental factors. They can range from sweet to briny to minerally in taste. The ones we had were on the salty/briny side, my favorite. Winzell's is known as an oyster house, and as such they get their oysters in fresh everyday and you can tasted that it is so. They send the oysters out with crackers, horseradish, and lemon wedges and there is ketchup and hot sauce at the table. I like they give the options because some people like to eat their oysters with the different toppings and/or on crackers. I personally like to add some toppings, but my favorite is just nude out of the shell.

Brent and I split the J.O. Platter. We chose the fried one because why not. Fried seafood is delicious. But there is a broiled option as well. The platter comes with fish, scallops, stuffed crab, oysters, and shrimp and we chose cheesy grits for the side. A quick aside about the grits; they were cooked well and very cheesy. The seafood was fried perfectly. It wasn't greasy. It was crispy on the outside yet the seafood was perfectly done on the inside. It is quite a feat to achieve, as most seafood when overcooked turns tough and rubbery or simply falls apart. The shrimp and scallops were sweet and perfectly cooked right in the sweet spot between "not quite done yet" and "turned into rubber." The oysters kept their silky texture. The fish was flaky and moist. The stuffed crab was sweet and savory. The hush puppies were also perfectly fried. I can't express enough how hard it is to fry seafood perfectly. And to have a huge platter like this come out with everything the way it should be is impressive. I have been to higher end, "upscale" restaurants that have had trouble with having all the seafood come out perfectly done.

The service was good overall, although there was a point where our waitress didn't come back for a while. But she was very polite, apologized, and explained the situation (If I remember correctly someone didn't show up for their shift or something like that). Really and truly, there is no place like the south for service and hospitality.

As mentioned Dewey Destin's is in Destin, FL. The one we went to is the little shack on the water known as the Crab Island location. This place knows its seafood.

I started off with a cup of gumbo. A little warning, this gumbo is on the spicy side. But I love it that way. The flavors are so deep and together. It really has a great seafood flavor to the base. The Gumbo is loaded with shrimp and crab. It also has okra, rice, onion, bell pepper, and celery. They make one of the best gumbos in my opinion.

I got the crab claw basket. It was loaded with crab claws, perfectly fried. The crab was incredibly sweet. The batter is a little bit on the lighter side, but doesn't lack for flavor. It also comes with fries and hush puppies, and I chose some cole slaw as a side. 

Mel got their cheeseburger and added bacon to it. The burger was cooked nicely and was loaded with tomato, pickles, onion, and lettuce. It was a tasty little burger. You would generally think being a seafood shack the burger would be and afterthought. But it wasn't. It was good enough to be on any restaurant menu. It came with fries. (I apologize for the the tilted picture. For some reason every time I upload it, even if it is the right way, it posts sideways.)

Brent ordered the stuffed shrimp. The basket contains huge shrimp, cased in fresh crab meat, which is then wrapped in bacon, and then deep fried until crispy. I will let that sink in for a minute.... If that does not sound epic for seafood, I don't know what is. The fact that it all cooks well, and nothing is over or under done is amazing. It is so over the top. But so good at the same time. The crispy, salty bacon is the perfect foil to the sweeter crab and shrimp.

 We finished with a slice of home made key lime pie. It was a good slice of pie that was perfectly balanced between sweet and tart. It had a great lime flavor that was natural and not artificial. The crust was graham cracker and was the perfect base for this. The texture was spot on, being silky smooth. It was a great end to a great meal and great time.

The people there were incredibly friendly and treated us like we were regulars they have known for years. And it is hard to beat the view too

View from the table

A pod of dolphin not too far off the dock